Christmas Means New Beginnings
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: It certainly does. Rated T.


**My Christmas story for all of you here. Enjoy!**

**I only own Bethany, Amy, Sergeant Williams, Rachel, Sasha, Cassy, Sparkle, and Tina. Ally belongs to Sparkling Lover,Fade, Scarlett, and Elle belong to Skylar1010, Gena belongs to guestsurprise, Kairi belongs to antaurilover685, Dana belongs to Jeannenobunaga, Danielle belongs to Windblazer Prime. Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. Merry Christmas to all of you and to everyone here on Fanfiction.**

* * *

**Christmas Means New Beginnings**

Christmas was coming and Staybrook was alive with bright lights and neighbors enjoying each other's company. It was all bright and merry.

Except for one girl.

Stephanie had been about to start on seeing what she wanted for Christmas as she was currently alone in the house and was about to go on the computer when she spotted something. It was a file with her name on it. Normally, she wouldn't have thought of a file, but it had her name on it. Curiously, she carefully opened it and read the contents, her eyes widening in pure horror.

The people she had thought were her parents were really scam artists and murderers. The contents were slowly making Stephanie's stomach churn as she then read the note at the back of the file.

"_Both Stephanie and Bethany are now our girls. Parents died in terrible car crash. They'll never know,"_ it read.

The girl immediately looked at the contents again and saw another file with Bethany's name on it and found the contents to be very similar. Confusion filled her as she then saw newspaper clippings of her supposed parents that read they were wanted on several warrants.

Feeling scared, but knowing she couldn't keep this to herself, she grabbed her cell phone and looked around before dialing the police.

Sergeant Williams heard his phone ring and picked it up. "Hello?" he said.

"Sergeant Williams? It's Stephanie," she said. "I'm the one who's bullied Rachel and Sasha, but please, I need to speak with you. I have something that you need to see."

Rachel and the rest of the girls were relaxing against their fiancées when she heard her cell phone ring. Giving Rook a kiss on the cheek, she stood up and answered her phone.

"Hello, Sergeant," she said. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Rachel," he said. "But I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Rachel was silent as the police sergeant told her about what Stephanie had found in her home and explained how the girl had decided to turn in the two people she had thought to be her parents. The owner of the Grant Mansion was very stunned and nodded as she listened to his request.

"Okay," she said. "Bring her down. I'll let the gang know."

With that, she bid the sergeant farewell and turned to the others. "Guys, that was Sergeant Williams. He had news about Stephanie," she said.

"What did that girl do now?" asked Chromastone, a growl in his voice as he held Cassy close to him.

Rachel took a deep breath. "She turned her parents in. They're wanted on several warrants for theft and murder," she said.

The room was instantly silent, shock running through all of them. "What on Earth?" asked Snare-Oh.

"She turned her parents in?" asked Dana in shock.

The twenty-one year old nodded. "She found some files that she wasn't supposed to and read them, realizing what they were," she said. "She contacted Sergeant Williams right after."

"But then why did Sergeant Williams call you?" asked Rook.

Rachel looked at all of them. "Stephanie is now homeless and the sergeant was wondering if we might consider taking her in," she said. "I know we've all had problems with her in the past, but she doesn't deserve something like that to happen to her."

They all knew Rachel was right and Cassy stood up. "Come on," she said. "Christmas is a time to forgive and forget. I'm willing to forgive Stephanie and let it go."

The others stood up, voicing their agreements just as a knock came and Rachel opened it to let Stephanie and Sergeant Williams in.

After a few minutes, the sergeant left, knowing Stephanie was in good hands. The girl that had once been a ruthless bully now looked and saw the aliens all looking at her, along with several girls she recognized.

To their surprise, she glanced away, subdued. Rachel put a hand on her shoulder. "Stephanie, what you have done in the past has been forgiven," she said. "We're willing to give a second chance."

The girl looked surprised and stiffened when she felt Snare-Oh grasp her shoulder gently. "What you did today took a lot of guts on your part," he said. "And it came with a price."

"You turned in those people, knowing it would mean you'd be homeless, but you still did it," said Ghostfreak. "That is admirable of you."

The poor girl looked baffled, and glanced at Rachel, who smiled. "We're willing to take you in to be a part of the family if you accept," she said.

Stephanie looked at them all, confusion clear on her face and it grew when Bethany hugged her. "Come on, sis," she said. "This family is way better than what those people were."

The other girls swarmed her with hugs too, making the poor girl shed some tears at being accepted and looked at Rachel, nodding that she accepted the offer.

* * *

Many days passed and Stephanie was slowly adjusting, even though the others pretty much welcomed her with open arms now, she still was sad. She jumped when she heard someone behind her and saw it was Scarlett, a young vampire who was also a good friend.

"Hi," she said. "You okay?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I guess I'm just feeling a little down," she admitted. "I mean, you guys have all accepted me after the other day without any questions, not even after all I had done. I guess I'm wondering if you guys should have really accepted me."

Scarlett smiled gently. "That's how I felt when I first came here," she said. "Until I met Fade."

"How do you feel now, beautiful?" asked Fade, wrapping his arms around Scarlett.

She smiled at him. "Accepted," she said and then looked at Stephanie. "You don't have to look far for acceptance and a lot of times it's right in front of you and you don't realize it."

Stephanie gave that some thought after Scarlett and Fade headed off. Was it true that acceptance was around her? She slowly walked aimlessly, deep in thought until she stopped for a moment outside the kitchen with a sigh.

But then hearing giggles, she looked into the kitchen to see Sparkle and Tina decorating cookies. The small Conductoid noticed her.

"Hi, Aunt Stephanie!" she said cheerfully. "We're decorating cookies."

The girl was shocked that the small alien accepted her so fast. Even Tina looked happy to see her. "Will you please help us decorate the cookies, Aunty?" she asked.

When she saw their pleading looks, Stephanie realized she couldn't say no to them. "I'm not a good artist," she admitted.

"So?" asked Sparkle with a shrug. "The cookies will be good all the same."

Having no other excuse, the girl shrugged and joined the two, watching how they decorated the cookies and followed their lead, doing her best and she smiled, actually having fun, especially hearing the two small aliens giggle cutely as they continued decorating cookies.

Rachel had just come in to check on her nieces and smiled when she saw the girls had roped Stephanie in to decorate cookies and the girl was smiling a real smile. "I see you girls have a helper," said Rachel with a smile.

Stephanie looked up at the blonde girl. "I've never done this before," she admitted. "But it's definitely fun."

"It happens quite often," said the owner of the Grant Mansion. "It's hard to keep enough cookies around here with these two and a houseful of sisters and friends."

That made Stephanie giggle a little as a tall black and green alien walked in with a mummy alien behind him with two girls. It was Feedback, Elle, Amy, and Snare-Oh and they too smiled when they saw the scene.

"Mommy! Daddy!" said Sparkle with a giggle as she jumped into her father's arms. "Aunty Stephanie's been helping us with the cookies."

"I can see that," said Feedback, smiling warmly at Stephanie. Elle also smiled at the girl.

"And you two are covered in frosting and sprinkles," said Snare-Oh with a chuckle.

Amy chuckled and took a picture. "Why do you girls decorate yourselves too?" she asked.

Rachel laughed. "That's the best part of decorating cookies," she said. Stephanie nodded in agreement as the two sets of parents took the girls upstairs for a bath. The young, blonde haired girl looked at Rachel.

"Are they really serious when they said they were willing to forgive me and forget what happened?" she asked her.

The owner of the Grant Mansion smiled. "Yes, they are," she said.

"But why?" asked Stephanie.

Rachel smiled. "Because of what happened to you and also because it's Christmas," she said. "This season is a time to forgive and forget and to make new friends and new beginnings. You've been through a lot, Steph. Don't you think it's time for a change? A new way?"

Stephanie took in what Rachel said and pondered it as she moved away, heading back to her new room. It was nice to have so many new friends, but she felt terrible inside for what happened.

"You look like you could use a friend," said a voice and she turned to see a huge yellow alien with thick armor and what looked like jackhammers in his arms. He reminded her of an armadillo in a way.

"I guess," she said with a shrug as he moved closer. "Who are you?"

"Armordrillo," he answered her. "What's bothering you?"

Stephanie didn't know how it happened, but somehow, she went from standing outside her room with Armordrillo to inside her room with him sitting on her bed and she paced the floor, unloading all of her concerns and past on him and he just listened, not telling her once to stop until she was done.

She now looked at him after she finished. "Everyone has forgiven me, but I still feel terrible," she admitted.

Armordrillo was thoughtful. "Sounds like you have some unresolved issues within," he said gently. "How do you feel about yourself?"

That question wasn't expected. "Well, I guess I feel confused," she said. "And like I shouldn't even be here."

"That's your doubt talking," he said. "It's also a fear to believe that what we've said is true and a fear of never being happy again."

She looked at him. "Uh, yeah," she said in surprise. "That's exactly what it feels like. What do I do?"

Armordrillo was silent for a minute. "First off, you need to let go of that doubt and the best way to do that is to forgive yourself and believe that what we say is true," he said. "Then you need to find your inner happiness. Both are linked."

Stephanie looked confused. "So, only I can resolve these issues?" she asked.

He nodded. "That's the best way to let go of doubt and to trust again," he said.

* * *

It had taken a few more days, but now with Christmas a week away, Stephanie looked outside at the falling snow and went out onto the balcony, even though it was a bit cold out, and scooped up some snow in her hand, looking at it as it melted a little, leaving clear water running down like a small waterfall. She gazed out at the rest of the property covered with thick snow and smiled, especially when she saw Kairi and Goop outside having a snowball fight and laughing together.

She then closed her eyes, ready to finally let go of her doubts and move on. When she opened her eyes, she felt much better and shivered a bit as it was cold and went inside, grabbing her coat and boots and moving outside, doing something she had seen others do when it snowed.

She began building a snowman.

She had just finished the first huge ball when Four Arms came up beside her with Gena, Kuphulu, and Danielle. "Need some help?" asked the Tetramand.

"Sure," said Stephanie. "I'm having some trouble moving this."

"Well, you've got a good start," said Kuphulu.

"I'll grab the finishing touches," said Danielle as she headed off.

"I'll help you, Danielle," said Gena.

Their activities drew attention and soon everyone was outside, minus Rachel and Sasha, who were inside making dinner, but watched as the aliens all built snowmen and even Way Big and Ultimate Way Big built a huge snowman that was almost as tall as the mansion. Rachel chuckled in amusement.

"Looks like Stephanie found her inner happiness," she said as she watched her once-enemy flop down and make a snow angel, the others joining her.

Sasha was about to say something when a huge crash made them jump and then they laughed when they saw the two To'kustar brothers making snow angels too. Thankfully, there was a huge meadow behind the house, so the two tall aliens had plenty of space to make their snow angels. It was a sight that made both sisters smile.

"Yeah, she looks happier too," said Sasha as the girls finished up making dinner just as the aliens and other girls came in. After dinner, most of them were relaxing when Stephanie came in and looked around for a moment before feeling a hand on her shoulder and turning to see Armordrillo behind her.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Better," she said. "Thanks. For everything."

She was about to move away when Tina suddenly jumped up. "Wait!" she said urgently. "You forgot something."

Stephanie looked around to make sure she hadn't dropped anything. Seeing nothing, she looked at the young alien girl. "What did I forget?" she asked.

"You and Uncle Armordrillo forgot to kiss," Sparkle spoke up. "Isn't that what supposed to happen under the mistletoe?"

Everyone immediately looked up and saw what the two small aliens meant. Stephanie and Armordrillo were under the mistletoe and both of them looked at each other and the girl looked away, her face burning red.

"Um, I think that's only for couples who are in love," she said gently.

"Or for someone who's ready to let go of doubt and fall in love," Armordrillo said just as gently, making Stephanie look at him in surprise. He chuckled. "I've known for a bit after you confided your worries with me," he said. "Also, you've become more beautiful as a result of being here."

The blonde-haired girl was sure her face was the brightest red imaginable and looked at Rachel for help, but the other girl only smiled. "What's stopping you, Steph?" she asked with a shrug. "A leap of faith can carry you far."

Kairi, Danielle, and Gena nodded. "It's true," said Kairi, looking at Goop, who held her close. Danielle was snuggled into Kuphulu and Gena was snuggled into Four Arms. They all looked very happy and in love.

Stephanie then looked at Armordrillo. "Um, I've never kissed a guy before," she admitted. "Not even any of my boyfriends that I had."

"Why not?" asked Sasha.

The other girl shrugged. "I guess I didn't want to kiss a guy I was only dating to show off," she admitted and gasped a bit when Armordrillo lifted up her chin and part of his helmeted face moved back to show his mouth.

"Then that means this," he said and pulled her closer, kissing her deeply. Stephanie was frozen as the large alien kissed her in front of everyone, but the other couples only followed their example, including Kuphulu and Danielle who had just come in and saw they had stopped under a mistletoe when they saw Armordrillo kissing Stephanie. Both smiled at each other and kissed.

Ally, who had just come in the door to see them all, stopped and covered her eyes. "Mushy stuff," she said half-seriously, making the others chuckle and was surprised when she saw Stephanie had joined the family.

"Whoa, this family gets bigger every day," she said.

"And it's going to keep growing bigger," said Armordrillo as he kneeled before Stephanie and held up a black box to her. She carefully opened it and her eyes widened at the beautiful yellow diamond that sparkled at her. "If Stephanie is willing to trust me when I say I want her with me forever."

The once-bully didn't know what to say and she looked at Armordrillo and saw that he meant it. She then looked around. "Rachel told me that Christmas is a time for new beginnings and for forgiving and forgetting," she said. "Despite what happened, you guys have never made me feel unwanted for the past two weeks."

She then took a deep breath. "I don't think I'd ever want to leave," she admitted.

"Then, do you accept my proposal, Stephanie?" asked Armordrillo gently. "Will you take a leap of faith with love and be my wife?"

Stephanie smiled at him. "Yes," she said. "I will."

The cheers that followed nearly took the roof off as the new couple kissed again under the mistletoe and the others congratulated them.

* * *

That night, Rachel lay beside Rook, snuggled into his chest as he held her close. They were almost ready to fall asleep. "I'm glad Stephanie has joined us," said Rachel.

"Yes," said Rook. "After what happened, she definitely deserved a new beginning."

"Especially one filled with happiness."

Rook nodded in agreement and hugged Rachel as she returned the hug, kissing him on the cheek, which made him turn to her and kiss her deeply.

"Christmas definitely means new beginnings," he said.

"I couldn't agree more," said Rachel as they fell asleep, joining the other couples, including the newest couple, in peaceful sleep.

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**Merry Christmas to everyone!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


End file.
